The New Earth Gateways to Embodied Enlightenment
“To be Born as the Earth is not the same as being born. It is to realize that these Mountains and Rivers and the whole Earth itself is your true human body.”
- Zen Master Daido Roshi (1931-2009)
Born as the Earth Zen Academy (BEZA)
Our Mission
With a vision to meet the imperative for a shift in human consciousness, Born as the Earth Zen Academy (BEZA) exists to transmit a tried-and-tested, practical spirituality to create a new human story. We are the first school on the African continent, based in Cape Town, South Africa, merging authentic Zen Buddhism and Earth-based wisdom. BEZA is a rites-of-passage initiation school for grounded higher learning. The Academy’s training and curriculum are offered in exchange for your DANA payment. All training is experiential, hands-on, and co-operative. Students work independently, collaboratively, and at their own pace, facilitating long-lasting authentic transformation in themselves and their relationship with the community of all beings.
Your Journey of Transformation through Two Tracks
Guest Track (The 5 GATES) and ADVANCED TRAINING TRACK (Apprentice Gate; Student Gate; Facilitator Gate)
BEZA’s Training Mandala
Progress from The 5 Gates to Facilitator Gate
BEZA’s Training Tracks
1. Guest Track (The 5 Gates)
The Guest Track offers an introduction to our curriculums, teachers, and community. Engage any of these 5 Gateways and progress on to Advanced Training.
PERSONAL DIVINATION SESSION
Divination is an ancient healing craft which has been used for centuries to connect with the ancestral realm and make the invisible world, visible. By way of your ‘ask’ of the invisible world for guidance (to make visible) as to what hidden energies are constellating in your life, you discover how to open the way for healing.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
Between 1pm-5pm (SAST)
R900/€135
OPEN SPACE MEDITATION
Meditation is the ultimate sustainability and resiliency practice. To meditate is completely natural. It is through meditation that we begin to train our mind to become less erratic and more focused. During the unfolding stages of your practice you will become increasingly flexible, determined, and clear in body and mind.
Monday – Friday
7am-8am (SAST)
Free
PERSONAL MENTORING SESSIONS
Together we will work with a Medicine Wheel, Buddhist Wisdom, modern myths and dreams, the 4 Agreements and the Protocols of Council to offer you holistic, practical remedies to support the totality of your being. The psychic, physical, mental and emotional attunements become everlasting, self-empowering tools to craft a life of authenticity in a rapidly changing world.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (50min slots)
1pm-5pm (SAST)
R500/€75
NATURE-BASED WISDOM TALKS
Listen in live to 4 x online Nature-Based Wisdom talks delivered in the Advanced Training Modules (12 hrs of Elemental Teachings). Create and perform your own customised transformational rituals alongside Apprentice and Student Gatekeepers
4 x Live talks (12hrs) per Advanced Training Module
2 x R1000/€150 monthly DANA subscription payments
CIRCLE OF CONNECTION
To find solutions to our challenges as a collective we gather in a circle to recognize and honour our shared humanity and interconnectedness. When trust is cultivated, one’s heart’s wisdom and truthful expression has what is needed to build purposeful alignments and effective collaboration. This, in turn, reinforces trust and fosters much needed resiliency, flexibility and reliability in all relationships.
Every Thursday
7pm-9pm (SAST)
Free
2. Advanced Training Track
Advanced Training begins with becoming an Apprentice through the Apprentice Gate. Once at least 2 Elemental Modules have been completed you may progress through the Student gate and then on through the Facilitator Gate.
GATEKEEPER APPRENTICE TRAINING
Apprentices enter Advanced Training through participating in one 2-month elemental module, or by journeying through all 5 elemental modules around BEZA’s Medicine Wheel which lasts 10 months.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- Zen & Elemental Meditation Guidance Training
- Advanced Circle of Connection Training
- Personal Divination sessions
- Regular Mentoring sessions
- Prerequisite to enter the Student Track
2 Months of Comprehensive Training per module
2 x R1500/€225 monthly DANA subscription payments per module
GATEKEEPER STUDENT TRAINING
Once at least two modules have been completed Apprentices can apply to become a formal Student of Ekan Nangaku.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- All of the Apprentice Gate above
- Shikantaza Meditation Training
- Zen Buddhist Study group
- Zen Buddhist Dharma talks
- Zazenkai (ZZK) – an all-day, online silent meditation
- Prerequisite to enter the Facilitator/Elder Track
Gatekeeper Student Training is by invitation.
BEZA FACILITATOR/ELDER TRAINING
The Facilitator Training track is open to Students who have completed two cycles around the Medicine Wheel.
Includes:
- All of The 5 Gates offered in the Guest Track above
- All of the Apprentice Gate above
- All of the Student Gate above
- Facilitator/Elder Training
Gatekeeper Facilitator Training is for committed students who have the calling to become community Elders and Teachers.
Earthen Zen
The Elemental Journal
Integration after Kensho: How Daily Practices and Community Help
In the realm of spiritual awakening, Kensho represents a profound moment of realization and transcendence. However, the true journey begins after this transformative experience. Integrating Kensho into our daily lives becomes crucial to align our newfound insights with our actions, relationships, and overall well-being. This article explores the changes that occur after Kensho, the significance of integration, and how daily practices and community support aid in this process.
After Enlightenment, the Laundry – the Zen Experience
Enlightenment, a state of profound spiritual awakening, has been sought after by individuals across different cultures and religions throughout history. In Zen philosophy, enlightenment holds a special place, often portrayed as a transcendent experience that brings about profound transformation. However, the Zen masters teach us that the journey doesn’t end with enlightenment but rather continues into the fabric of everyday life. This article explores the concept of “After Enlightenment, the Laundry” and how mundane tasks can become a Zen experience.
Convalescence and Meditation
Convalescence is the gradual process of recovery in gaining back one’s health and strength to return to some or original form of functionality. The term has mainly been used in the past for chronic illness, however, the process of convalescence can be from an acute injury, surgery and even mental illnesses. The term is often used for the later stages of recovery.
Plant a Tree for €10 (R200)
Regenerating generosity
The first schools formed under the shade and generosity of trees. Your *first entry through any of the branches or BEZA gateways is a commitment to regenerating your personal, internal wholeness. Accordingly, we mirror your commitment by regenerating our collective, external environment by planting an indigenous tree on your behalf.
*When you register for any of our offerings please indicate whether it is your first entry into the Academy’s training matrix.
*Additionally, you will also be asked if you would like to double your regenerative efforts by planting a second tree on behalf of another for €10 (R200)